Soft Adventure Activities in Montego Bay

canopy tour

Above: Zip through the trees on a canopy tour with Chukka Caribbean.
Photo courtesy Jamaica Tourist Board

For many years, soft adventure in Montego Bay meant snorkeling or taking out a Sunfish at your resort. Sure you can still do that, but today Montego Bay is home to many soft adventure activities for all fitness levels.

Chukka Caribbean Adventures. The biggest outdoor operator in Jamaica is Chukka Caribbean Adventures; they run tours from their Montego Bay base near the town of Sandy Bay, west of Montego Bay. (They also operate tours from near Ocho Rios.)

Some of the most popular tours include:

  • Canopy Tours. Zip through the trees while hooked to steel cables on these tours available for ages 10 and up.
  • Horseback Rides. Three-hour rides take in the rainforest then end in the surf...with you on horseback.
  • ATV Tours. Ages 16 and up can hop an ATV for a bouncy ride through the countryside.
  • Jeep Tours. See more of the countryside around Montego Bay on open-air jeeps.
  • Rafting & Tubing. Hop a tube for a relaxing ride or opt for a kayak tour for more challenge.

For more on Chukka Caribbean Adventures, visit www.chukkacaribbean.com.

Dolphin Swim. There's only one choice for a dolphin swim in the Montego Bay area: Dolphin Lagoon Half Moon. Here's the catch: you have to be a guest at Half Moon to participate. Not a guest? Make plans to take a tour to Dolphin Cove at Treasure Reef in Ocho Rios (about two hours east); the two operations are run by the same company.

Fishing. Fishing primarily means deep sea fishing in the Montego Bay area; you'll have a chance at kingfish, wahoo, marlin, sailfish and yellowfin tuna. Most hotels work with local operators to offer half- and full-day fishing trips.

Horseback Riding. Along with the Chukka Caribbean tours mentioned above, two other operators stand out in the Montego Bay area. The Half Moon Equestrian Centre, located just east of the resort, offers everything from pony rides to 90-minute beach rides.

Martha Brae River Rafting. The relaxing bamboo raft tours that you might picture when you think of Jamaica are offered here. (They started in Port Antonio on the Rio Grande.) This attraction features rafting down a tranquil river, the Martha Brae. The ride lasts about one hour. According to legend, the river is named for an Arawak woman who killed herself rather than tell the Spanish the location of a local gold mine. The Indian maiden took the Spanish explorers upriver then used her magic to change the course of the waterway, drowning herself and the Spaniards in the process. Today her “duppy” or ghost is said to haunt the entrance to the mine.

Mountain Biking. The Half Moon Equestrian Centre, above, offers mountain bike rides as well as bike rides on the trails at Half Moon.

Sailing. Hop a catamaran and sail off into the sunset...or for a snorkel cruise. Dreamer Catamaran Cruises offers trips on three cats.

Sea Trek. Even if you're a non-swimmer (or just someone who doesn't want to get their hair wet), you can participate in this activity at Doctor's Cave Beach. You'll don a high-tech helmet then literally walk on the sea floor; air is pumped into the helmet by breathing tube. We've done this in Jamaica and other places in the Caribbean (and we're not scuba divers) and loved it. This is operated by Chukka Caribbean, above.

White Water Rafting. The best white water is seen on the Caliche Rainforest Park and Adventure Tours excursion; both take inflatable rafts on the Great River. One tour glides along Class II rapids while the other shoots through Class IV waters.